I have been diagnosed for over 6 years now. When I was diagnosed I was using the bathroom over 20 times a day. I had vomiting fits that I wished that if i wasn't dying that I would.

I am SO grateful to be diagnosed and healthy again. The few months that I had with such servere extreme symptoms where hell.

I miss NOTHING it was as though an instant switch was pressed in my brain, when I see cake, bread, cookies, doughnuts, beer I don't see food. I just don't see it, I don't salivate, I don't see it or desire it, it is poison to me.

Bloating Vomiting Nausea Stomach Pain Lower Abdominal Pain Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares ??? (according to some places I read, people think the whole condition is caused by Celiacs) Itching Congestion Bipolar effected (again some people think this could be from Celiacs)

Also, there are people like me, that have no obvious symptoms. I never have tummy issues from gluten. I was tested because I was constantly anemic. They would give me iron infusions to bring up my iron level and a month later they would be down again.

Here is the whole thing about Celiacs or any disease really. Don't self diagnose if possible. Once you are off gluten, if you do seek the help of a doctor, they won't be able to tell you definitively if you are gluten sensitive or a Celiac. Blood tests are often wrong. The gold standard is to have a biopsy through endoscopy. Gluten sensitivity and Celiacs are not the same thing. Gluten sensitivity or allergy will certainly upset your stomach, give you a rash or cause other symptoms. But Celiacs is a serious auto immune disease and if you are exposing yourself to gluten in any of its many forms, you are really hurting yourself. Celiacs is the only auto-immune disease that can be controlled through diet. So if you do have it, and are diagnosed properly, consider yourself very lucky it was brought to your attention before anything else goes wrong. Adopting a gluten free diet is much more complex than giving up bread, crackers, and pasta and it's not really the healthiest diet, so you should really talk to a doctor before you do it. So anyone out there who is feeling ill and self diagnosing, I beg you to see a gastroenterologist and get the right answers.

Kate, I too am self diagnosed. I had been diagnosed for years with irritable bowel syndrome. Since I have gone gluten free (a little over a year), all symptoms are gone unless I accidentally eat some gluten. Also I have had anxiety for a long time and it is almost gone. I can now function like a normal person. I would never go back to eating gluten again.

Sever stomach cramps Diarrhea and swelling of lips or any body part it touches...

Diagnosised CD sever 1999

Jean

If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win but think you can't, It's almost certain you won't. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later, the man who wins Is the man who thinks he can. (Walter D. Wintle)

I'm self-diagnosed and sometimes doubt whether I have a sensitivity to gluten. If I do, it's a mild one.

A few months ago, I started to get this tingling feeling in my feet. At first it was one foot at night, and then it was both feet, and then it was hitting during the day and traveling up my legs. A bunch of tests at the doctors came back normal, and on a whim, I looked up gluten sensitivity symptoms. Sure enough, the tingling feeling exactly matched what I was reading about gluten.

I gave up gluten and the tingling did go away. I also noticed that I had a lot more energy than usual, and wondered whether that had anything to do with gluten. For the past several years, I always felt very, very tired. I also had a lot of anxiety - really, really bad and interfering with my life. I've thought several times recently that my anxiety, while still there, is a lot better than it used to be. I also have had a lot of issues with stomach cramping and gas, which I know is linked to dairy, but sometimes comes about when I don't eat any dairy.

This past week I've eaten a lot of gluten. My feet are bothering me right now and I'm exhausted.

Reading how well you all know your symptoms makes me want to keep track of mine a lot better.

I believe it may be the yeast extract, the high salt content, and most products that are condensed may have a gelatin for a thickner. Most of us who have problems with gluten also have other food allergeries that become more agressive once we control the gluten. I for one do know I am allergeric to malt (contains gluten) and HFCS is not good for anyones' digestion, extracts are also an unknown as small amounts are not required to be identified very well.

I also have a lactose allergy and use almond milk.....soy milk for some people can cause thyroid problems. Good luck, the celiac foundation lists a huge number of common foods and additives that must be avoided, find them on the web. Has anyone else found that the high sugar content in gluten free products adds to weight gain rapidly?

Sweetlucretia I believe that I have quite a strong emotional reaction to gluten. I find that I feel low, my self-confidence plummets and I find I am all in my head analysing rather than living. I don't get tearful but as someone said at the start of this thread, everyone's reaction is different. So if that's what you notice about yourself it is probably how you generally react. Rebecca

Julierae40 - not sure if anyone replied to you privately but my thoughts about what looks suspicious in the ingredients list is the stock/ broth - i know it doesn't say flour but I wouldn't mind betting it is in there. Don't get too discouraged - it's a long road to educate ourselves about where to find gluten - and then when we figure it out the manufacturer changes their recipe so we just have to check and keep checking those labels. Rebecca

Perhaps it was truly more related to relief in finding out that you do have gluten related digestive problems. Tears are a relief indicator , for many people we cry when we are happy as well as when we are sad or overwhelmed. Possibly it was simply now having a specific reason for your stomach problems and you were now ready to address a specific problem. I would say the answer to your question is a Yes!

Re:symptoms of gluten allergery. I was not diagnoised with gluten (celiac) problems until I was 64 years old. This is a longterm chronic disease that has the ability to destroy most if not all of your entire digestive system. Initially I was told I had a dumping syndrom as my stomach emptied without begining the digestive process...this was my diagnoisis at age 24. At that time they didn't treat for GERD, which most celiacs have prior to being dianoised for celiac. The biggest problem I encoutered 3 years ago was in finding affordable ingredients and foods with none of the other products that most celiac people can not eat. HFCS, Maltodextrose, Sulfa, High sodium contents, ect. I used the cookbook from the 1930's Watkins and found that other than the weird flour products I now need to use, it's the "other indgredients" that are most difficult to avoid.

It would not surprise me at all if this was a reaction to the gluten. I am always very crabby after exposure. Our emotions are a big part of our immune system. It has been proven that tears from physical and emotional pain each have very different chemicals.

In His Strength and Grace,

Julie

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Anyone ever have an emotional reaction? My grandma and aunt have celiac, so I decided to do a gluten-free experiment for my IBS. Yesterday, after being gluten-free for 12 days, I ate a piece of bread and some noodles to see what would happen. Immediately I felt bloated and this morning I have a headache and stomach cramps, but at about 5 a.m. I woke up and had a half-hour crying jag. (Not over probably having to say goodbye to wheat!) I was wondering if maybe that was a gluten symptom too.

It's actually good to read other people have had the same symptoms I have. I am actually really new to eating gluten free--three weeks now. For 9 months I had terrible cramping usually right before I needed to go to the bathroom, bloating, gas, and often felt like I had a hard lump in my lower abdominal area. Eventually the pain got so it was all the time. Celiacs runs in my family but the blood tests for me always come back normal. Finally I visited my grandfather who has celiacs and while I was there had to eat the same food he did. All my symptoms disappeared in less than 24 hours and I found out all my symptoms are exactly like his. Since then, I am fine as long as I don't eat gluten but the gas and bloating comes back within an hour of eating gluten and the pain usually comes when the food hits a certain point in my digestion about 6-12 hours later.

The other thing I have noticed is that my energy level has shot up though the roof since I stopped eating gluten. I used to feel tired all the time and, even though I am in moderately decent shape, I felt drained even if I walked up two flights of stairs. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in energy since they stopped eating gluten?

When I have been glutened I get horrible stomach cramps. I also have horrible loose bowels and I always get gas. I usually do not feel it until the next day. I am just glad that I was able to find my problem and now I can address it.

My reaction is not as fast or as intense as most here. Once gluten-ed I will feel off for a while about a day. Then 2 to 4 days later my elbows will start to itch and blisters will start to erupt, after the elbows it may show up on my knees also. Hot spots also get tingly then when touched they get a burning sensation that is no way comfortable. Also little blister will form at the top of my neck in the lower hairline. I can tell when this occurs mostly the reaction is equal to both sides of my body down to almost the same spot. It will last about 2 weeks. They call it Celiac DH. I do not get the gut pain so I do not know if damage is happening to my intestines, my doc said to just eat gluten free, but i am going to be tested for food allergies as well as the gene test, my sister has the celiac gene and the same reaction as most here. Mine showed up at 51 years old.

As I sit here reading all of your responses, I am listening to my guts churn. The cramps are becoming painful and it has been 6 hours since I ate suspect food. I bought lamb shanks at Costco today. Unfortunately, I am still learning about hidden gluten. The whole process is turning me into a paranoid phobic who only wants to eat what she has prepared from scratch. My ankles will begin to swell over the next few days and will stay that way for 2 weeks or better. I will gain at least 3 liters of fluid from inflammation and that means 6 pounds folks. I will then begin the process of unbearable cravings for sweets and carbs for the next month.

I hate this! It makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. It has been around 3 months since I had this reaction and the last time I wasn't even sure what caused it. My skin gets itchy and I get cold too. So nice to have folks who understand. I am undiagnosed but refuse to go back on gluten just so I can confirm what my body already tells me.

Can anyone help me figure out the issue here? I read all the ingredients and was sure it was fine...............

I assumed since the thickener was corn based it was fine. So what is it? The yeast????? I had a hard time finding gluten free bullion so maybe it's in the broth????? I am never going to be able to eat anything from packages again, am I?

In His Strength and Grace,

Julie

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

I can tell before the meal is over. I get nauseous and very tired. I run a fever. I have loose stools. I've only thrown up once - the last time I tried to eat oatmeal. Depending on how much gluten I've been exposed to the symptoms can last for up to a week. I feel just like I have the stomach flu.

Yeah, we were surprised about the oil as well. And she had the reaction after one cookie. Similar to her experience with bread (she only took two bites). She feels like she has rocks in her stomach after eating anything with gluten. And it hurts badly.

My sister was glutened at one point by some coconut oil made in a factory that processed things that had wheat in it. She noticed this by process of elimination. She made gf cookies that she'd made several times before. The only processed food in the recipe was the coconut oil. It blows that we can be glutened by products that are produced in a factory/room with other products. Aaagh!!!

Well there went Tom's being safe. :)~ That link was interesting, some I knew some I had no idea. With The Body Shop I was an at-home consultant when that happened. There was a lot of anger amongst the consultants over it. I always wonder if the sale had something to do with Anita's (the founder) death. She had an unknown aneurism that went to her brain and literally face planted into her soup during dinner when it hit. Shortly after that they cancelled the whole at-home program.

Thanks for the pictures ya'll - lol. Really, I'm so sorry for us when we get glutened because it just puts us down for the count most of the time.

JENCORRINE - Here's something funny for ya, Colgate BOUGHT Tom's of Maine! I wonder how they may have changed it, cause you know they do ... read.bi/IgS2by .

MICHTOTMAN - Argh on the Goodbelly (liars!) ;0). Another example of having to be your own advocate and not believing everything you hear. You think you're doing your body good and what do you get? Punched in it! :( Sorry.

Here's something I noticed recently. I'd made a gf bday cake for DH in February (almond meal, coconut flour, orange rind ... can't remember what else). I froze the leftovers. I took a piece out to defrost in the fridge, and days later took a wee bite (I'm not supposed to have this based on new trial elim. diet, but I did). Well, I had the glass shards travelling through my gut much like I've read about. It lasted a good half hour and no "D". I knew I hadn't been glutened because I made the cake, trust the flour source, and had a piece in February. I suspect it was the orange rind, but I know you all aren't getting the same source for your "glass" effect. I'm guessing, but I thought it was interesting.

Maybe I got glutened from my dinner out the night before, I'll never know. But I'm still a bit wonky dizzy.

Ok! My Symptoms varies by what the source of gluten is. If I eat oats, even gluten free oats. I have an immediate reaction. I get an intense burning pain in my gall bladder followed soon by stomach upset and diarrhea. I am one of the unlucky Celiacs that still react to oats. According to Standford university it is .075% of Celiacs that still react to oats.

If I ingest wheat, I usually do not know it till the next morning when I wake up bloated, get intestinal cramps and then diarrhea. I well also have an outbreak of eczema. I well have problems for up to a week after ingesting wheat. I also get very fatigued during this time.

If I use a shampoo that contains wheat, my scalp starts itching really bad and gets a feeling like ants crawling on me. If I use a body-hand lotion that contains wheat I break out with eczema.

Like most here I have severe abdominal cramping - like glass, as I believe Cindy said. And I feel it within 30 minutes. My joints will also ache for a few days. This last bout of gluten "poisoning" had my thrown for a loop, however, as it was days (and multiple exposures) before I realized what the offending food/drink was. I actually was cold - and I mean FREEZING. Our house was 75 degrees and I was in bed, sleeping the day away, with 4 blankets and a hoodie on. I actually thought I had the stomach flu - but it turns out that GoodBelly (which I was told by the sales clerk in the Whole Foods is gf) is NOT gluten-free. Duh. Once I fixed the problem, I started to feel better.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

After being GF for a while, I don't always immediately know anymore. I was told someone put bread crumbs in a burger I ate after the fact (days later) and I only just felt a little tired and fuzzy. Before, I had felt like I ate broken glass and my digestive system was not even moving. I ALWAYS get tired though...

I forgot to mention the puking. For years I had random bouts, I noticed a pattern that it would happen when brushing teeth. When I tried One a Day weightsmart when it came out, within a week if taken on an empty stomach would almost immediately puke, on a full stomach would be nauseous for some time, I gave up after a few weeks. Then I started having issues with certain anti-biotics. I haven't been on antibiotics or tried the One a Day since going GF but the toothbrushing got way better but still happened. Then I found that Colgate won't say whether they were GF or not, and can't remember the last time I used any other brand. I switched to Tom's and haven't had a problem since but that was just 2 or 3 months ago. Let me correct that, I forgot my toothpaste when I visited my Mom. I used her Colgate and had a hard time holding it back, that just reaffirmed to me that changing to Tom's was good for me.

My symptoms feel like I have rocks in my stomach. I have Candida as well and I itch all the time esp if I have anything sweet. I also feel very sluggish like I am dragging around but I have problems being hypothroid and problems with my adrenals as well. It varys from person to person.

Symptoms vary from person to person. I can tell because my skin starts to itch. Actually that's an understatement, my scalp feels like little bugs are crawling over it and are biting it. And it lasts for hours. It will start within 30 min to 2 hours after eating. My skin gets red (believe it or not...Lol!), blotchy, and itchy.

If I put a lotion or product in my hair with wheat germ oil or tocopherol derived from wheat in it, the skin that comes in contact with it will itch terribly. Most recently, I had some drying of the skin around my lips after putting an oil on my face that had tocopherol in it.

But symptoms can change over time. My sister who had the stomach discomfort and the big "d" (and tested negative for celiac disease-go figure) has been GF for about 1 year. But a few weeks ago she ingested something with wheat in it and immediately threw up.

Mine does the same thing. I don't know how my body will react to it., Just don't know why.

Dorothy

If you tell God no because He won't explain the reason He wants you to do something, you are actually hindering His blessing. But when you say yes to Him, all of heaven opens to pour out His goodness and reward your obedience. What matters more than material blessings are the things He is teaching us in our spirit. Charles Stanley

I have some symptoms that happen no matter how much gluten and some that vary by how bad the glutening is. Before GF I was always constipated with random bouts of diarrhea, I was never concerned with the constipation since I come from a long line of bathroom readers, outside of that I never had much tummy issues. I never thought my mental issues would be tied in with it. Now with any gluten within 15-20 minutes I start getting extremely tired, like I haven't slept in a week; dizzy(vertigo), depressed, anxiety, panicy(panic attack), and can feel the brain fog march across my brain. These all last about a week. The good part is I know that I have about 2 hours to get home so I can be miserable in my own bathroom. The bad part some of the brain fuzziness is similar enough with alcohol I can't tell the difference sometimes. I've learned when eating outside of home that unless I completely trust where I'm eating that I can't drink alcohol. If there is enough gluten about 2 hours later I start getting stomach cramps and the gurgling mentioned before that others can hear sometimes. eventually I'll be in the bathroom with 1st round - hard constipated waste, 2nd round - explosive diarrhea, 3rd round - more pain than anything and anything left in my system gets purged. This takes about 2 hours for all 3 rounds. With the 2nd and 3rd rounds I get super hot and strip off my clothes, it's like I can't control it. If I ingest enough gluten my DH will flare. Even touching gluten will cause some of the blisters to form the next day. I think theres more but it's been long enough I can't remember everything that happens.

Oh boy, I can tell very quickly. With 20 minutes even. Basically it feels like my insides come to a screeching halt! Then slowly and very laborously it starts to churn forward and abdominal cramping sets in.

Sometimes the loud gut noises will be heard by me and others, sometimes not.

Usually will have D the next day.

It is so uncomfortable that I do my best to avoid it. And before I went GF, the abdominal pain really wasn't there, but all the rest was.

I still won't know if I've been glutened until the following day. Sometimes I'll get some stomach pain that night, but usually it's not until I'm trying to "go" the next day that the pain will become more intense and I see that nothing is digesting. My symptoms are all pretty gross! I haven't made a connection with any dizziness and I haven't vomited in years either - hope I never do again!

†~Amber~†

MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT 5 lbs = 5 lbs

5 lbs of muscle simply takes up less space than 5 lbs of fat!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If nothing tasted as good as being thin felt, no one would ever get fat!

For instance, the only time I "knew" I was glutened I had abdominal pain and "D" within an hour (prior to cd dx I had no abdominal pain, though before I had steattorhea). I've been glutened since that first time by less than 20ppm, but I didn't know it (confirmed by Cyrex blood test and a stool analysis).

I was recently ill, and I'm wondering if getting glutened just presented entirely differently: this time I was dizzy and vomitted. I haven't vomitted in years. Course, it could have also been the flu, but I guess I was wondering if your getting glutened was always the same during the years. Thanks!

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